Marine Corps Non-Commissioned Officer Arrested for Drug Use

The Number of Soldiers Administered Drugs in the Garrison Increases Every Year

A Marine Corps non-commissioned officer was caught using drugs at an off-base military accommodation.

National Defense Committee members, including Min Hong-chul, Chairman of the National Defense Committee of the National Assembly, are experiencing riding the KAAV (Korean Amphibious Assault Vehicle) during the 2021 National Assembly inspection held at the 6th Marine Brigade in Baengnyeongdo, Incheon on the 18th. Photo by the National Assembly Press Corps, Baengnyeongdo

According to the Marine Corps on the 13th, NCO A was urgently arrested by civilian police on charges of misuse of psychotropic substances at a lodging in Gimpo, Gyeonggi Province, on the 11th. On that day, A called the police directly, saying "Help me," and was incoherent. The responding police detected signs of drug use and arrested him.

A has been handed over to the Marine Corps investigation unit, and a military investigation is underway. It was revealed that he had previously surrendered after using drugs and was already under investigation by the military.

The Marine Corps stated, "We will take action according to laws and regulations based on the results of the ongoing investigation."

Meanwhile, the number of drug-related offenses in the military surged from 4 in 2020 and 5 in 2021 to 15 in 2022. This returned to pre-COVID levels (12 in 2018, 15 in 2019).

In 2022, the Army had the highest number of military drug offenders with 12 cases, followed by the Marines with 1, the Navy with 1, and the Air Force with 1. By rank, there were 2 majors and 1 sergeant among the officers, but the majority were enlisted soldiers, totaling 12. By drug type, marijuana accounted for the most cases with 7, while methamphetamine and ecstasy (MDMA) were each detected in 1 case.

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